LIKE IT IS (M). (Channel Four/Potential Films) Director: Paul Oremland Stars: Steve Bell, Ian Rose, Roger Daltrey, Dani Behr, Christopher Hargreaves, P J Nicholas, Paul Broughton Running time: 93 minutes.
London's club scene and gay sub-culture provide the background for this gritty, contemporary, gay-themed love story from Britain's Channel Four and director Paul Oremland. Like It Is has been compared to 1996's wonderful gay coming of age tale Beautiful Thing, but this low budget production is unlikely to reach a broad audience as it has been consigned to a limited release on the art house circuit.
The film opens in the gaudy, neon-lit resort town of Blackpool. Nervously waiting outside a gay night-club is the strikingly handsome Craig (newcomer Steve Bell). A fighter who earns spare cash on the lucrative, but illegal, bare knuckle fight circuit, Craig is also uncertain of his sexuality. Loathe to enter the club, he hangs around in the alley outside. There he meets Matt (Ian Rose, a star of numerous tv soaps), who is leaving the club. A London-based club entrepreneur, Matt is in town to help promote the latest single from his protégé Paula (Dani Behr), a pop singer whose career is on the way up. Their sexual encounter is brief and unsatisfactory, and leaves Craig feeling even more confused.
Recognising the lack of opportunities in this bleak town, Craig heads off to London, and unexpectedly arrives on Matt's doorstep. However the self-centred Paula, who is also Matt's roommate, grows jealous of Craig's presence, and does her best to destroy the relationship before it becomes too serious. Also throwing a spanner or two into the works is Matt's boss Kelvin (former Who frontman Roger Daltrey), a manipulative and nasty piece of work who would be right at home in a lurid tv soap opera. A big shot music promoter with a penchant for young male bimbos, Kelvin is also adept at making or breaking artists who cross him.
Craig eventually grows uncomfortable and disenchanted with this hedonistic world of drugs, sexual jealousy, bitchiness and hypocrisy, and decides to return home to Blackpool. There at least everything is a little more straight forward, and Craig knows where he stands. Matt has to confront his own feelings and eventually choose between his dream of managing his own club with Kelvin or a chance of happiness with Craig.
The performances of the largely unknown cast are quite good and surprisingly natural. Bell, a real-life boxing champion himself, brings a touching vulnerability, naiveté, and air of uncertainty to his role that perfectly suits the character. Daltrey hasn't had a role this juicy for years. He seizes the opportunity with gleeful abandon, and his smarmy, uninhibited performance dominates the film. Behr is wonderfully bitchy as the selfish and jealous Paula, while Rose is also good as the cocky and seemingly shallow Matt.
Writer Robert Gray seems to know this territory well, and he examines London's gay scene with an honesty and insight that is rare. First time feature director Oremland beautifully captures the ambience of the night club scene as well as the bitchy politics of the music industry. His insights provide this enjoyable and intelligently crafted film with a bit of muscle. Like It Is has a gritty edge that is tempered with some wonderful touches of disarmingly candid humour.
*** greg king http://www.netau.com.au/gregking
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